Kenneth R. Bradbury | Wisconsin Geological Survey

Program Leader, Hydrogeology
Faculty

Department of Environmental Sciences

University of Wisconsin–Extension
Affiliated faculty

Hydrogeology Group

Department of Geology and Geophysics

University of Wisconsin–Madison
Tel 608/263.7921 Fax 608/262.8086
email krbradbu@wisc.edu

Research interests

My goal as a scientist working for a state geological survey has been to link my professional interests with the practical needs of Wisconsin’s citizens, management/regulatory agencies, and the environmental consulting community. At the WGNHS, we propose and carry out applied projects having specific practical goals (see partial list below), but each project contains a research component. My areas of research include hydrogeology of fractured media, regional hydrogeology of Wisconsin, wellhead protection, and groundwater recharge.

During the past few years, the main thrust of my work has been to better understand how to characterize and model fractured aquifers and how to determine groundwater flow paths near water-supply wells developed in fractured aquifers.

Current projects

Evaluation of methods for assessing the movement of chemical and microbial contaminants through aquitards

Hydrogeology of southeast Wisconsin

Hydrogeology of Dane County, Wisconsin

Effects of unsewered subdivisions on groundwater

Identification and classification of springs in southern Wisconsin

Selected publications/presentations

Hydrogeology of fractured rocks
Bradbury, K.R., 2003, A circuitous path: Protecting groundwater in Wisconsin: Geotimes, v. 48, no. 4, p. 18–21.

Bradbury, K.R., 2002, How important are horizontal fractures?: International Groundwater Modeling Center Newsletter, v. XX, issue 1, p. 4. [Article in Adobe® Acrobat® PDF format.]

Bradbury, K.R., and Muldoon, M.A., 1994, Effects of fracture density and anisotropy on delineation of wellhead protection areas in fractured-rock aquifers: Journal of Applied Hydrogeology, 3/94, p. 17-23.

Bradbury, K.R., and Rothschild, E.R., A computerized technique for estimating the hydraulic conductivity of aquifers from specific capacity data: Ground Water, v. 23, no. 2, p. 240–246. [Article in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.]

Eaton, T.T., and Bradbury, K.R., 2003, Hydraulic transience and the role of bedding fractures in a bedrock aquitard, southeastern Wisconsin, USA: Geophysical Research Letters, v. 30, no. 18, doi:10.1029/2003GL017913. Abstract available online at <http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2003/2003GL017913.shtml>.

Muldoon, M.A., and Bradbury, K.R., 2005, Site characterization in densely fractured dolomite: Comparison of methods: Ground Water, v. 43, no. 6, p. 863–876. [Article in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.]

Muldoon, M.A., Simo, J.A., and Bradbury, K.R., 2002, Correlation of hydraulic conductivity with stratigraphy in a fractured-dolomite aquifer, northeastern Wisconsin, USA: Hydrogeology Journal, v. 9, p. 570–583.

Rayne, T.W., Bradbury, K.R., and Muldoon, M.A., 2001, Delineation of capture zones for municipal wells in fractured dolomite, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, USA: Hydrogeology Journal, v. 9, p. 432–450.

Regional hydrogeology of Wisconsin
Bradbury, K.R., 1991, Tritium as an indicator of ground-water age in central Wisconsin: Ground Water, v. 29, no. 3, p. 398–404. [Article in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.]

Bradbury, K.R., and Taylor, R.W., 1984, Determination of the hydrogeologic properties of lakebeds using offshore geophysical surveys: Ground Water, v. 22, no. 6, p. 690–695. [Article in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.]

Feinstein, D.T., Eaton, T.T., Hart, D.J., Krohelski, J.T., and Bradbury, K.R., 2005, A regional simulation model for southeastern Wisconsin. Report 1: Data collection, conceptual model development, numerical model construction, and model calibration, Report 2: Model results and interpretation: Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, Technical Report 41. [Reports in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.]

Hart, D.J., Bradbury, K.R., and Feinstein, D.T., 2006, The vertical hydraulic conductivity of an aquitard at two spatial scales: Ground Water, v. 44, no 2, p. 201-211. [Article in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.]

Hunt, R.J., Bradbury, K.R., and Krohelski, J.T., 2001, The effects of large-scale pumping and diversion on the water resources of Dane County, Wisconsin: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-127-01, 4 p. [In Adobe Acrobat PDF format.]

Krohelski, J.T., Bradbury, K.R., Hunt, R.J., and Swanson, S.K., 2000, Numerical model of groundwater flow in Dane County, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey Bulletin 98, 31 p.

Lathrop, Richard, Bradbury, Kenneth, Halverson, Bruce, Potter, Kenneth, and Taylor, David, 2005, Responses to urbanization: Groundwater, stream flow, and lake level responses to urbanization in the Yahara Lakes basin: LakeLine, v. 25, no. 4. [In Adobe Acrobat PDF format; used here with permission.]

Swanson, S.K., Bahr, J.M., Bradbury, K.R., and Anderson, K.M., 2006, Evidence for preferential flow through sandstone aquifers in southern Wisconsin: Sedimentary Geology, v. 184, p. 331–342.

Toran, Laura, and Bradbury, K.R., 1988, Ground-water flow model of drawdown and recovery near an underground mine: Ground Water, v. 26, no. 6, p. 724–733. [Article in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.]

Wilcox, J.D., Bradbury, K.R., Bahr, J.M., and Thomas, C.L., 2005, Assessing background ground water chemistry beneath a new unsewered subdivision: Ground Water, v. 43, no. 6, p. 787–795. [Article in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.]

Flow and transport across aquitards
Borchardt, M.A., Bradbury, K.R., Gotkowitz, M.B., Cherry, J.A., and Parker, B.L., 2007, Human enteric viruses in groundwater from a confined bedrock aquifer: Environmental Science and Technology, http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/esthag/2007/41/i18/abs/es071110+.html.

Bradbury, K.R., Hart, D.J., and Gotkowitz, M.B., 2004, Field comparison of methods for collecting hydraulic head profiles across an aquitard: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 36, no. 5, p. 467.

Cherry, J.A., Parker, B.L., Bradbury, K.R., Gotkowitz, M.B., Eaton, T.T., Hart, D.J., Borchardt, M.A., 2007, Contaminant Transport Through Aquitards: Technical Guidance for Aquitard Assessment: Awwa Research Foundation, 270 p.

Gotkowitz, M.B., Bradbury, K.R., and Borchardt, M.A., 2005, Human enteric viruses in groundwater from a confined aquifer: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 37, no. 7.

Groundwater recharge
Bradbury, K.R., Hunt, R.J., and Rayne, T.W., 2005, Are recharge-area maps useful for land-use planning in humid settings?: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 37, no 7.

Stoertz, M.W., and Bradbury, K.R., 1989, Mapping recharge areas using a ground-water flow model—A case study: Ground Water, v. 27, no. 2, p. 220–228. [Article in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.]

Collaborations

As an adjunct faculty member, I collaborate with faculty and students in the Hydrogeology Group in the Department of Geology and Geophysics, UW–Madison.

I work frequently with colleagues in the U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Water Science Center, Middleton, Wisconsin.

On occasion, I co-teach short courses/workshops for the Midwest Geosciences Group. Courses include Advances in hydrogeologic analysis of fractured bedrock systems and Assessing groundwater movement and contaminant migration through aquitards: Hydrogeologic characterization and investigative techniques.

Selected professional activities

Advisor to the Editor-in-Chief, Ground Water

Chair, Research subcommittee, Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council

Fellow, Geological Society of America

Member, National Groundwater Association

Member, Groundwater Research Advisory Council, University of Wisconsin

Member, Science Work Group, Wisconsin Groundwater Advisory Committee

Former member, Water Science and Technology Board, National Research Council

Updated December 10, 2010
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